This invention relates to an auxiliary shelf for a cooking apparatus such as a barbeque grill. In particular, this invention relates to a shelf for a barbecue grill assembly, which extends from the side of barbecue grill assembly, and has a raised position and a lowered position.
Gas grills continue to be very popular as outdoor portable cooking devices. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,964, to Lohmeyer et al., portable gas grills usually consist of a cart that is supported on wheels and has a cooking vessel thereon. The vessel usually consists of gas burners in the lower portion of the vessel, with various known elements therein. Next to the vessel, the grill can have a working surface, as shown in FIG. 1 of the Lohmeyer reference, disclosed as a working board 170 that is supported on the side members 40 by brackets 171 (FIG. 14 therein). At times, a user of such grills may need additional work space. As such, this reference also discloses that a further working board 172 can also be provided which is moveable between a stored position and a useable position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 therein. This reference further discloses that the working board is connected along one edge by a hinge 173 to the side member 40, and is supported in the useable position, extending generally horizontally as shown in FIG. 1, by a support rod. The support rod 174 is pivotally supported on the lower surface of the board 172 and has an offset outer free end received around the leg 36.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,707 to Harris et al., also discloses a working type surface from a series of slats 64 that are secured over and extending between front and rear rails 60 and 62, to form shelves. The rails are connected to the legs through the engagement of a pair of elongated upper and lower slots 66 and 68, respectively, with a pair of corresponding upper and lower pins 70 and 72. The upper slots have an open guideway 73 into the upper slot while the lower slot is closed, capturing the pin therein. The shelves have a raised, horizontal position, and a lowered, vertical position. To place a shelve in the raised position, the upper pin is directed into the guideway 73 by the curved camming portion 74 at the entrance to the guideway. When the shelve is fully raised, its weight causes it to drop into a locked position with the pins engaging the uppermost portions of the slots.
FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, of the present specification, additionally show a known apparatus which is a part of a shelf assembly having a shelf component 2 (partly shown) which rests on a first and second rails 4, (not shown). Extending from the first rail is an engagement region 6 having a slot 8 for accepting a first pin 10. The first pin 10 projects laterally from the frame 12, and a second pin 14 also extends laterally from the frame 12, below the first pin 10. When the shelf component 2 is raised from a lowered, vertical position, shown in FIG. 1, to a raised, horizontal position, shown in FIG. 3, an engagement edge 16 engages the second pin 14 and causes the first pin 10 in the slot 8 to move from one end of the slot to the other end of the slot. The second pin 14 then comes into contact with an engagement point 18 of the engagement region 6, which causes the shelf component 2 to be placed in its highest substantially horizontal position before moving into the raised position. The engagement point 18 then moves past the second pin 14, and the engagement region 6, and shelf component 2 drop into the raised position. The second pin 14 is then engaged with a notch 20 cutout in the engagement region 6 to hold the shelf component in the raised position.
The present invention is provided to simplify and improve upon the above and other devices, as well as to solve the problems with such devices.
The present invention provides a shelf assembly for a cooking apparatus such as a barbeque grill. The shelf assembly has a shelf component which can rotate about a generally horizontal axis of rotation located generally at a first end of the shelf component, from a lowered position to a raised position. The cooking apparatus or an associated apparatus, has a frame with a plurality of frame members. At least one of the frame members supports the first end of the shelf component about the axis of rotation. The shelf assembly can utilize a rod aligned with the axis of rotation, for connecting the shelf component with the frame member, and for supporting the first end of the shelf component about the rod, wherein the shelf component rotates about the rod.
The shelf assembly also has a support extending downwardly in relation to the shelf component when the shelf component is in the raised position. The support is capable of rotating about the axis of rotation with the shelf component. The shelf assembly further has a stationary coupler located generally below the axis of rotation in the vicinity of where the support is capable of rotating about the axis of rotation with the shelf component. The stationary coupler can be mounted on the frame member. The support can releasably engage with the stationary coupler when the shelf component is in the lowered position to generally prevent the shelf component from inadvertently swinging outwardly from the lowered position. The support also supportingly engages with the stationary coupler to support the support and the shelf component when the shelf component is in the raised position.
The stationary coupler or the support can have a recess for releasably engaging with the support or stationary coupler, respectively, when the shelf component is in the lowered position to generally prevent the shelf component from inadvertently swinging outwardly from the lowered position. The stationary coupler or the support can have a projection for engaging with the recess that may be in either the support or the stationary coupler, respectively, when the shelf component is in the lowered position to generally prevent the shelf component from inadvertently swinging outwardly from the lowered position. The stationary coupler further has an engagement surface for engaging the support and for supporting the shelf component when the shelf component is in the raised position.
The shelf component can also laterally slide along the axis of rotation from a first lateral position to a second lateral position, when the shelf component is raised above the raised position, in order to place the shelf component in the raised position. The stationary coupler can also have one or more fingers for preventing the shelf component from being inadvertently removed from the raised position when the shelf component is in the raised position.
The shelf component of the shelf assembly, has an upper surface and a lower surface generally parallel with the upper surface. The shelf component can have one or more ribs extending substantially across the lower surface of the shelf component to increase the rigidity of the shelf component. When the support is engaged with the stationary coupler, a gravitational force is transferred from the upper surface of the shelf component through the plurality of ribs, to the support and to the stationary coupler, to support objects placed on the upper surface of the shelf component. The ribs can extend from a position adjacent the support to a position generally across a central region of the lower surface of the shelf component, can be parallel, can be crossed or not crossed.
The present invention further provides a method of placing the shelf assembly in a raised position from a lowered position. The method includes rotating the shelf component about the axis of rotation from the lowered position in a direction toward the raised position. The method further includes raising the shelf component above the raised position in order to clear a blocking component. The method also includes sliding the shelf component laterally along the axis of rotation from a first lateral position to a second lateral position, and lowering the shelf component into the raised position.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent with reference to the following description and accompanying Figures.